English Grammar
Active and Passive Voice
Select Tense : To Form Active to Passive
Active Voice
Sentences can be written or spoken in the active or passive voice. In the active voice, the subject of the sentence acts upon something or someone.
e.g. Active Voice: Everybody drinks water.
Passive Voice
Use
In the passive voice, the subject is acted upon i.e. the object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb.
When Passive Voice is used ?
Passive form is used when: we want to make the active object more important
we do not know the active subject
e.g. Passive Voice: Water is drunk by everybody.
Active Voice
The play fascinates me.
The play bores Smith.
The play surprises them.
Passive Voice
(am/is/are + past participle)
I am fascinated by the play.
Smith is bored by the play.
They are surprised by the play.
Active Voice
The play bored me.
The play fascinated Smith.
The play surprised them.
Passive Voice
( was/were + past participle)
I was bored by the play.
Smith was fascinated by the play.
They were surprised by the play.
Active Voice
I am helping Henry.
John is helping Suman and George.
Passive Voice
( am/is/are + being + past participle)
Henry is being helped by me.
Suman and George are being helped by John
Active Voice
I was cleaning the living room.
They were cleaning the living room.
Stella was cleaning the living room.
Passive Voice
( was/were + being + past participle)
The living room was being cleaned by me.
The living room was being cleaned by them.
The living room was being cleaned by Stella.
Active Voice
I have mailed the gift.
Smith has mailed the gifts.
Passive Voice
( have/has been + past participle)
The gift has been mailed by me.
The gifts have been mailed by Smith.
Active Voice
Peter had directed the play.
Peter had directed those plays.
Passive Voice
( had been + past participle)
The play had been directed by Peter.
The plays had been directed by Peter
Active Voice
John will have finished the assignment next week.
They will have finished the assignments before then.
Passive Voice
(wil/shall have/has been + past participle)
The assignment will have been finished by next week.
The assignments will have been finished before then.
Active Voice
I will mail the gift.
Smith will mail the gifts.
Passive Voice
(will + be + past participle)
The gift will be mailed by me.
The gifts will be mailed by Smith.
Active Voice
She is going to make the cake.
Rozy is going to make two cakes.
Passive Voice
(is/are going to be + past participle)
The cake is going to be made by her.
Two cakes are going to be made by Rozy.
Modals (Present And Future Tense)
will / won't (will not)
can / can't (can not)
may / may not
might / might not
should / shouldn't
ought to
had better / had better not
must / must not
has to / have to
doesn't have to/ don't have to
be supposed to
Passive Voice
(modal + be + past participle)
will / won't (will not)
Active
Mike will invite Smith to the party.
Passive
Smith will be invited to the party by Mike.
Active
Mike won't invite Ruby to the party.
Passive
Ruby won't be invited to the party by Mike.
Active
Mike will not invite Ruby to the party.
Passive
Ruby will not be invited to the party by Mike.
can / can't (can not)
Active
Tanu can foretell the future.
Passive
The future can be foretold by Tanu.
Active
Lucy can't foretell the future.
Passive
The future can't be foretold by Lucy.
Active
Lucy can not foretell the future.
Passive
The future can not be foretold by Lucy.
may / may not
Active
Her company may give Robert a new office.
Passive
Robert may be given a new office by her company.
Active
The lazy students may not do the homework.
Passive
The homework may not be done by the lazy students.
might / might not
Active
Her company might give Robert a new office.
Passive
Robert might be given a new office by her company.
Active
The lazy students might not do the homework.
Passive
The homework might not be done by the lazy students.
should / shouldn't
Active
Students should memorize English verbs.
Passive
English verbs should be memorized by students.
Active
Children shouldn't smoke cigarettes.
Passive
Cigarettes shouldn't be smoked by children.
ought to
Active
Students ought to learn English verbs.
Passive
English verbs ought to be memorized by students.
had better / had better not
Active
Students had better practice English every day.
Passive
English had better be practiced every day by students.
Active
Children had better not drink whiskey.
Passive
Whiskey had better not be drunk by children.
must / must not
Active
Tourists must apply for a passport to travel abroad.
Passive
A passport to travel abroad must be applied for.
Active
Customers must not use that door.
Passive
That door must not be used by customers.
has to / have to
Active
She has to practice English every day.
Passive
English has to be practiced every day.
Active
Robert and Meena have to wash the dishes every day.
Passive
The dishes have to be washed by Robert and Meena every day.
doesn't have to/ don't have to
Active
Maria doesn't have to clean her living room every day.
Passive
Her living room doesn't have to be cleaned every day.
Active
The children don't have to clean their living room every day.
Passive
Their living room don't have to be cleaned every day.
be supposed to
Active
She is supposed to type the composition.
Passive
The composition is supposed to be typed by her.
Active
She is not supposed to copy the stories in the book.
Passive
The stories in the book are not supposed to be copied
Active
Janet is supposed to clean the living room.
Passive
The living room is supposed to be cleaned by Janet.
Active
She isn't supposed to eat candy and gum.
Passive
Candy and gum aren't supposed to be eaten by her.
Active
They are supposed to make dinner for the family.
Passive
Dinner for the family is supposed to be made by them.
Active
They aren't supposed to make dessert.
Modals (Past Tense
Should have / shouldn't have
ought to
may / may not
might / might not
be supposed to
Passive Voice
(modal + be + past participle)
Should have / shouldn't have
Active
The students should have learned the verbs.
Passive
The verbs should have been learned by the students.
Active
The children shouldn't have broken the window.
Passive
The window shouldn't have been broken by the children.
ought to
Active
Students ought to have learned the verbs.
Passive
The verbs ought to have been learned by the students.
may / may not
Active
That firm may have offered Katya a new job.
Passive
Katya may have been offered a new job by that firm.
Active
The students may not have written the paper.
Passive
The paper may not have been written by the students.
might / might not
Active
That firm might have offered Katya a new job.
Passive
Katya might have been offered a new job by that firm.
Active
The students might not have written the paper.
Passive
The paper might not have been written by the students.
be supposed to
Active
I was supposed to type the composition.
Passive
The composition was supposed to be typed by me.
Active
I wasn't supposed to copy the story in the book.
Passive
The story in the book wasn't supposed to be copied.
Active
Janet was supposed to clean the living room.
Passive
The living room was supposed to be cleaned by Janet.
Active
She wasn't supposed to eat candy and gum.
Passive
Candy and gum weren't supposed to be eaten by her.
Active
Frank and Jane were supposed to make dinner.
Passive
Dinner was supposed to be made by them.
Active
They weren't supposed to make dessert.
Passive
Dessert wasn't supposed to be made by them.